A 37 year-old male is facing ten global charges related to the unlawful possession and unauthorized use of credit and debit cards. It’s alleged the stolen cards were used to purchase items from local businesses, using the “TAP” function. Police are, once again, urging members of the public to prevent the theft of credit and debit cards by securing personal property and removing valuables from their vehicles.
The Regina Police Service has seen an increase, in recent months, of thefts using the “TAP” function on debit and credit cards. TAP allows the credit/debit cardholder to simply place the card on a terminal to complete the transaction, rather than key in a Personal Identification Number or PIN. Merchants and consumers find it convenient, but so do thieves. In Regina, many of these cases start with credit/debit cards stolen from wallets left in vehicles. The vehicles are often left unlocked by their owners. Typically, the suspect(s) use the “TAP” function on these stolen credit/debit cards to make unauthorized purchases in stores. After the fact, police are often able to obtain surveillance video from these businesses, but the images alone do not identify the suspect(s) involved. Even when police can identify a suspect, it does not undo the victimization.
In three recent “TAP” theft cases, extensive additional investigation successfully identified a viable suspect. In all, there were five different stolen credit/debit cards and 40 transactions at numerous businesses around Regina. The original theft of the credit/debit cards are:
– July 31, 2017 – theft of a backpack, containing bank cards, from the driveway of a residence on Rogers Place;
– August 11, 2017 – theft of wallet from a truck, parked at a residence in the 1500 block of Lakeridge Drive;
– August 15, 2017 – theft of personal and business credit cards from a wallet in an unlocked vehicle in the 1400 block of East Pettigrew Avenue;
As the result of evidence gathered in these cases, a 37 year-old male was arrested and charged.
Thirty-seven year-old Jeremy John WILLIAMSON, DOB: 1980-05-31, of no fixed address, is facing 10 global charges:
– 5 x Theft Under $5,000.00, section 334(b) CC ; and
– 5 x Possession of stolen credit cards, section 342(1)(c) CC.
WILLIAMSON appeared in Provincial Court on the theft charges on November 15, 2017. He was back in Provincial Court on Friday November 17, 2017 on the remainder of the charges.
